Hair drying apparatus



1949. D. w. HAARMAN' 2,478,393

HAIR DRYING APPARATUS Filed July 25, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i INVENTOR.15 DONALD N 12 uQ-awgqm Aug. 9, 1949. D. w. HAARMAN HAIR DRYINGAPPARATUS Filed July 25, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. DONLD MPLLAQMANPatented Aug. 9, 1949 HAIR DRYING APPARATUS v "Donald W.*Haarman,Detroit Lakes,-""Minn'., as-

'signor {toDri-Air Corporation, St. .Paul,

"niipiicatmntuly zs, 1946, serial No. 686,176

This invention relates ,to apparatus for drying hair, andmoreparticularlyjtq apparatus for heating and dehydrating a'ir which isto be directed upon hairtobedried. i a s Beauty shop operators aregenerally of the ,opinion that present .methods tforv drying hairconstitute at best along and, unpleasant operation. In theaunit typeofdryeriin common use today, there normally visilocated Within the hoodand closely adjacent thegheadiofthe {person whose haid is being dried,an electric heater, a motor and fan which tense agitation ;of as muchheat attempt to dry the hair by in- ;thereot and by :the application wasthe beauty shop patron is willingto undergoh Thessameyairin presentdryers is :necirculatzgd continuously "within the hood and normally;becomes nearly as saturated with m oistureeas thehair aitsel-f. delaysthe hair drying process by an unnecessary amount: 1 1 H; .7 l

Hair drying "apparatus heretofore {proposed have normally employed;heating-elements; usu ally electric, *whichallegedly'idry :the airsimultaneouslyv-with -;the-;heating thereof. 2 Certain types of moistureadsorbing rmaiteriallhave been used in some types of hair dryerspreviously em- 'ployed, but :it ;is believed athat :theicombination ofheating elements and emoisture adsorbing materials of said:typesvpreviously employed have been inefiective tosecureoptimum resultsand have subjected ithe rperson undergoing such treatments tounduadiscomfort, and to procedures which were undulyl'engthy.

According to the present -invention, an apparatus fordryingthe hair isprovided'wliich will eliminate 'the-abovenoted "difficulties or reducethem to insignificanee, a r

Various further and morespecific objects ieaand'advantages of -the;invention are ,clearly apparent from the detailed description givenbelow taken in connection iwith'the accompanying drawings which form apart of this specification and illustrate, by--way-of example,preferred-arrangements; of apparatusgformarrying .out the invention; Theinventionyconsists iii-such novel combinations of @f-eatures'as may beshown and describedfiin connection with zthe equipment herein disclosed.

In the drawings: I Fig. 1 is a*rear leyationpartlyin sectionillustrating a'hairdrying apparatus embodying the PYZ fi l 11 19 11, i1;7, .7 a s i.

Fig. 2 is aside Elevation of the upper portion fi Claims. (or. 34-80) ofthe device .*shown in "Fig. 1 taken along line '2-2 'ofi'Fig 1;; u Fig.3 is a section taken :along .line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. '4 is Fig.2; i o. r i

Fig. '5 is a diagram of the electric circuits employed in the-apparatus;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 'lrand I aFig. 7 is-a schematic view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

The present 'invention isadapted ior circulating arounda persons hairdehydrated air-which has been thoroughly cleaned 'andconditioned for thepurpose of safe and rapid hair drying with complete comfort to'theperson during'the drying operation. The novel apparatus does not employextremely high temperatures to accomplish this result but achievesarapid hair drying with complete comfort by-a :novel method of heatingthe ,air within intermediate temperature ranges, and bythoroughly*dehumidifying:the air;

Referring'to'the drawingsin'furth'er detail, the novel hair dryingapparatus is constituted bya hood memberZZ and a blower orfan t whichmay be driven by. an electric motor I 4. The blower 4 ispreferablydisposed .within t e throat of a venturi l6.Asuitablesupportingibracket 15 may be a section taken along line 4-13 ofprovided for thewmotortl l; saidbracket, forexample, being attached I 6.a

to the Venturi member chambers l c and id :may beseparated :by avertical partitiomfi (Fig. 1) thereby constituting said chambers in.semi-.cylindrical-shape.

Air which isetucked into the apparatus bythe fans is forced :to'pass'throughatfilter 13 (Fig. 1) at the inlet of the :venturi Tl 6 andthereafter the air is distributed .toadesiccant chambers -|c and Id andis forced therethrough to the atmosphere or to the hood inlamaner toappear-hereinafter.

.In theformshown in Fig. 1,:novel means are provided for impartingiahairdrying heat to the air. which. is .directed to thelhood through the Vintermediary .of. a moisture,adsorbing agent which releases theheat ofadsorption.inmoisture-laden air and which simultaneously dries the air.The

air is directed through one desiccant chamber to the hood and throughone or more other chambers to the atmosphere whereby the other desiccantunits are rejuvenated or reactivated in a manner to appear more fullyhereinafter. The novel heating and drying action is accomplished byinterposing a sufficient quantity of moisture adsorbing agent such assilica gel in the air stream which is directed to the hood.

Silica gel is a prepared form of silicon dioxide having an extremelyporous structure. It is made by mixing predetermined concentrations ofan acid, such as sulphuric acid, and a soluble silicate like sodiumsilicate (water glass), and allowing the mixture, known as the hydrosol,to set to a jelly-like mass called hydrogel. The product takes its namefrom its condition as a colloid at this stage of its manufacture. Aftersetting, the hydrogel is broken into small lumps and thoroughly washedto remove excess acid and the salts resulting from the reaction. Thewashed hydrogel is then dried, crushed and screened to the desiredparticle size'and given a final activation.

Silica gel is a most inert, rugged material, its hardness being aboutNumber in Mohs mineralogical scale, or slightly softer than ordinarywindow glass. Due to these characteristics it is an extremely durableproduct and neither erodes nor dusts while in service or while beingregenerated. The action of silica gel in adsorbing vapors is purelyphysical, and there is no change in the size or shape of the particlesas it becomes saturated. Likewise, no corrosive or injurious compoundsare given off as is usually the case when chemical absorption takesplace. Even when saturated, the particles of silica gel feel and appearperfectly dry.

An idea of the area of the pore surface of silica gel may be obtainedfrom the way it acts in the adsorption of vapors. It is known that everysolid is capable of adsorbing gas or vapor on its surface to somedegree, and that the weight adsorbed depends upon the nature and extentof the surface. Normal commercial silica gel will adsorb approximately50% of its weight of water from saturated air, and from this it has beenestimated that one cubic inch of silica gel contains pores having asurface of about 50,000 square feet. Silica gel with this enormousinternal surface and infinite number of small diameter capillariesattracts vapors, condenses them, and holds them as liquids in the poresor capillaries, thus being an excellent example of the physicalphenomena known as surface and capillary adsorption.

The weight of any compound adsorbed on silica gel depends upon itspartial pressure in the original gas mixture, the temperature of thesilica gel and of the gas mixture, the surface tension of the condensedliquid, its ability to wet the pore surfaces, the volume and shape ofthe pores. In practice, at temperatures normally experienced, silica gelhas been found to adsorb large quantities of liquids having boilingpoints over 50 F. and to release them readily when the gel is heated toabout 300 F. Included in this classification is water.

When water vapor is adsorbed on silica gel or a similar adsorbent, heatis liberated equivalent to the latent heat of evaporation of theadsorbed liquid plus an additional amount of heat, known as the heat ofwetting. The sum of the latent heat plus the heat of wetting is known asthe heat of adsorption. During the phenomenon of adsorption it might besaid that the latent heat of a vapor is transformed into sensible heatwhich is dissipated into the adsorbent, the metal of the adsorbentcontainer, and the stripped air or gas mixture, resulting in a rise intemperature. In practice, the temperature rise in the dehydrated aircaused by the adsorption heat is approximately 10 F. for each grain ofmoisture removed per cubic foot of air at atmospheric pressure.

The commercial product has the appearance of clear crushed quartz. Forthe purposes of this apparatus 3 to 16 mesh silica gel may be employed.

After use, silica gel containing water may be regenerated by subjectingit to an elevated temperature, which operation is known as activation orregeneration. The processes of adsorption and activation are completelyreversible, so it is possible to use silica gel for an unlimited numberof times without loss in efficiency or capacity. Activation may beaccomplished by placing the silica gel in an oven for several hours orby blowing hot air through it until no more moisture is given off. Atemperature of between 300 F. and 350 F. is recommended for economicaloperation; however, in some instances temperatures as low as 250 F. maybe used.

Said silica gel is employed in the present apparatus in sufiicientquantity to heat the air to a hair drying temperature. Each desiccantunit preferably comprises a hollow cylindrical outer screen container 3having one end preferably open to the air stream and the other endclosed. An analogous but smaller inner screen container 3a comprises theinner retaining surface and the silica gel is packed between 3 and 3a.The desiccant units are designated la and lb on the left and right,respectively. The phenomenon of adsorption is so controlled in thisapparatus as to provide novel results.

In continuing with the description of the drier it will be seen from theillustrations that the device is so arranged mechanically that theimportant physiological requirements of efficient drying are obtainedwith a high degree of simplicity.

An important feature of the apparatus is that during the drying cyclethe dehydrating comound not only (1) removes moisture, but (2) addswarmth to the air which provides an exceptionally efficient andcomforting hair drying eifect. To create the necessary flow of air foroperation of all the functions of the device only one blower unit isrequired to operate the system.

It will be noted in Fig. 1 that a plurality of these adsorbing cylindersare employed so that the cycle of operational use of the apparatus willbe continuous, that is, while one cylinder is providing dry warm air forthe purpose intended another cylinder will be undergoing reactivationfor succeeding use.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1, said two chambers loand Id employed are substantially identical. Air which is directedupward by the blower fan 4 freely enters spaces la. and 11) withincylinders la and lb respectively and is forced through the adsorbentmaterial 2 and into the spaces 8a. and 8!) respectively.

Heating elements 911 and 9b are preferably concentrically located withinthe cylinders and in the spaces 1a and 1b and are held in position by asupporting means [0. Elements 9a and 9b are connected to a suitablesource of electric energy (not shown) as indicated in Fig. 5. Each portfor :the a Ping a -valve-orifice 19a ada- '=with eitheraorifice Ea or50, 1;

orifice mot-111 :register.

amounted upon-La shaft rotary valve '23 mounted upon and for irotationwithranshaft 25 3 .adaptedtfor opening and closing 'atmosphericorifices5b and Valve :23 :has 0rifices 23a iand'xlfib *form'ed the'r sopositioned that inone ioperating s'positio the iatmospheric 'orifice idis open and =5b-3is closed, and in the other operating 'position orifice5d -5isclos'ed 'and 5b i zopen.

"by means rofmeshmgzgear teeth in turn tthrroughgear aaraaata as heatingelement :is automatically ioperate'deonly {or the purpose" of reactivagent :2.

ation oftheidr-ying The cabinet 5 ;may he lined with fa'rh'eat:inswlating material ;l- I :suchvas asbestos {so as :to irestrict heatilosses from the system. The-ientire apparatus is attachedxrto abasezscction'i-Z'Which providessupportand portability.

:enters the system a all traces of dust,,lint- -Air to be processed:firstand otheraforeign :matter-rare :removed.

'An. innercasing l l zis-shown-in :Fig; l -as- :a-tsuppparatus withinthe cabinet ;.:5; :it :ceing contemplated that thisxouter easing timaybe readily removable.

In chamber icrsuita-bleahoodz'and atmospheric orifice are designated: by5a and-5b respectively, and in sch-amber d. by :50 andrespectively-(Fig. 3).

Suitable conduit mean engaged-' conduits-fl I and 21a are provided :forplacing said: hood torifices in: communication "with 'the hood.

The conduits 2- ,-:2la 'maytbe angularlyzshifted,

. preferably in a vertical :-plane, :in :a conventional ihOOd. elbow orsocketip'ortion :23. .A 'beatmgssleeve 37 may beprovided'for guidingangularzmoirement zof members 2 l 21a -in-.'a' vertica1 plane.

Suitable synchronously operated valves are provided (for-opening aIIdcI-Osing fsaid orifices 5a anci1 5ccomprisingaa rotary valve [2 1(Fig.aiiha h pted-for registering hus openingtithehood orificel in registertherewithbutaclosing ftheihood Valve '19 :iS irotatably or-ipivot 2A. -Asecond The valves 19 and 23 are'opel'a on their periphcries.'Bothaare"controlled' by a handle l fi which is rigidly attacheditoshaft 25.

s; "suchias telescopically valve 1.9,

f 6 FA md at dthyfi fiimwings 'ithefflow i'ofiairfiis controlled by aLformmf irotary -"slieeveivalve' action A fi Control lever :'l;8:held:in either so: two operating positions byaspringaactuated mcking de-'Wfce 6: Imaddition 1o coutrollingalharflowgofithe conditioned air thecontrolileverjl a alsogthnpiigh its rotation of shaft 2.5 controlstheswitches 27a and 27b (Eig..:5)"-.which-opielfateitheibiower motor )4 andselected activating heating element 9a or 917. Thermostatic heatercohti'mrlements28a and 281) may be located near:resptmtitrefalritivation exhaust ports in the gtop of the cabinet 5which are uncoveredbywalve 23 so as automatically to turn ofi theheating element whenthe m t t e -ee- Lfflifbflfljgliliflflilitlfiffllf'exaninle, between 225 250" "Rfinfiicatingthat'the"dehydrating atei ialjz ii'as teen congpletely reactivated andlsreadyio j i j' h airi tp' ho ih E ovedfiofits alternatepo i'iti'mrol'ls use "of .n imarxpq p seaSwitch rfi axheia fl lm ai lifera i'i l s i "'i ia ia f ,"v rat aiviilliein (Figx i) The association of' valves 19 ahdiztfisasu'ch that I at anygiven time "when the at'mospheric' ork i -i fice ofonerchamber-"isiclosed the atmosphericrori 'fice of the otherchamher isopen, and only one "of'the 'orifices tatmos'phericand hood) isopen'Consequentl at a time in any 'onechamber.

the hood orifice" isclosed "in that cylinder "having an open atmosphericorifice} and v'ice "versa.

' One cycle 'of opera'tion of th'e' equipment ""will be described andwill be illustrated hyth'e' iiidicated positionof manually operatedcontrol lever it located ion 'the top of the :cabinet '5. Due-to l theaction 0f the fan 4 the *airenter the'cabinet and is cleaned oftforeignmatter byrn'eansof filter IS. The air which is'forced through cylinderla is dried-and warmed by the adsorbent :2 as it enters space-8a.

The dehumidifiedairbasses through valve 19 *andorifice'ia thence through'hoodelbow :zt'and telescopic conduit 2152 la: to the *hood =22.During-this' cycle ofoperatiomthe adsorhent matei ial 2 of cylinder'i'bi-is bein'g reactivated by the heating action .of element fib.'Z'Ihe con parativel y' hot moist air-rising into space 8?) "isexhausted into the atmosphere through valve z ll (orifice 236) which: isdirectly controlledby lever tti and which .tion,

1(5) p aten mrsttre remeval,tain pereui a iil 5%;:

The absorption of 5.2 grains of water vapor per cuift} results in a riseof about i 5.2=52 F. in the temperature of the dehydrated air.

-ris'eper grain of water absorbed per cut. ft.).

The dried air will rise to 122 F.

'The weight of water to be absorbed from 100 C. F. M. in A2 hr. is:

14.9 lbs.

be about 4 inches.

The apparatus as designed will carry no me I chanical vibration or noiseto the hood and thus will eliminate annoyance to the person undergoingtreatment.

Features of the hood 22 are of themselves worthy of special note. It isnot contemplated to use a circulating fan or heater within the hooditself or in close proximity to a persons head and scalp as is customaryin the majority of driers now in use. Instead air entering hood 22 fromconduit 2! under considerable pressure flow is deflected into acirculatory motion within the hood by the butterfly valve 3! which isarranged either to operate automatically or under manual control knob32. Its purpose is to distribute the air as desired within the hood.Guide vanes 33 further control the pattern of the air circulation. Afresh supply of warm dry airis constantly being fed to the hood whichafter considerable circu'lation and after having removed its share ofmoisture from the hair is exhausted outward at the convex exit 34 at therear of the hood. The front edge of the hood has a concave lip 35 whichfurther directs efiective circulation of the air. The vanes within thehood may be changed from time to time to the varying style of ,coifiuresto effect any desired circulation of the air.

A head support 36 of a wire net or any suitable loose knit constructionis mounted on the lower vanes within the rear of the hood and serves toadd a comfort feature for the patron.

Complete versatility of movement of the hood 22 is provided. Rotation inthe vertical plane may be guided by bearing sleeve 37 as above mentionedand may be locked in position by a clamp knob 38. The telescopicadjustments of conduit 2i may be maintained by the clamping knob andmeans 39.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 7 wherein theatmospheric outlets or orifices 5b and 5d are respectively connected tocoils 49 and 4| in chambers Id and la respectively.

It may be desirable to supplement the heat imparted to the dried air inthe manner set forth above by employing the heat used to reactivate thedesiccant. Means for accomplishing this are shown schematically in Fig.7 wherein the atmospheric outlets or orifices 5b and 5d are respectivelyconnected to coils 40 and M which are located within chambers id and Herespectively,

' preferably intermediate the respective desiccant and hood orifice.

While the invention has been described with respect to preferredembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art afterunderstanding the invention that various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention andit is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all suchchanges and modifications.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patentis:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a drying hood, air blower means,a pair of desiccant chambers, a pair of desiccant units, each unit beingmounted in respective of said chambers, a pair of heating elements, eachelement being associated with respective of said units, each of saidchambers having hood and atmospheric outlets, valve means for closing ahood outlet in one selectable chamber and opening the hood outlet in theother chamber, valve means for simultaneously opening the atmosphericoutlet in the selected chamber and closin the atmospheric outlet in theother chamber, means for actuating respective of said heating elementsin response to opening of respective of said atmospheric outlets, a pairof atmospheric outlet heating conduits mounted in respective of saidchambers, the conduit of a first chamber being connected to theatmospheric outlet of the other chamber, and the conduit of said otherchamber being connected to the atmospheric outlet of the first chamber.

2. In a hair drier apparatus, the combination with a drying hood, of airblower means, a pair of desiccant chambers each containing silica gel insufficient quantity to dry and heat moist air at room temperaturepassing therethrough to a hair drying temperature between about to F.,said chambers each having a hood outlet and an atmospheric outlet andbeing fixedly positioned between said hood and said blower, a valve unitfor said hood outlets comprising an angularly shiftable elementincluding a cover member adapted for angular movement into coveringrelationship to one of said atmospheric outlets at a time, a valvestructure for said atmospheric outlets includin an angularly shiitableelement for opening one of said atmospheric outlets at a time, mechanismfor operatively connecting said angularly shiftable elements whereby theatmospheric outlet of each chamber is opened during the period that thehood outlet thereof is closed and the hood outlet is opened during theperiod the atmospheric outlet is closed, a pair of heating elementsassociated with corresponding of said desiccant chambers forreactivating moisture laden silica gel, and means for energizingrespective or said heating elements in response to the opening of theatmospheric outlet in respective of said chambers.

3. In a hair drier apparatus, the combination with a drying hood, of airblower means, a pair of desiccant chambers each containing silica gel insufiicient quantity to dry and heat moist air passing therethrough to ahair drying temperature between about 100 to 140 F., said chambers eachhavin a hood outlet and an atmospheric outlet and being fixedlypositioned between said hood and said blower, a valve unit for said hoodoutlets comprising a plate element angularly shiitable about an axisperpendicular thereto and having a perforation therein adapted formovement into register with one of said hood outlets at a time, a valvestructure for said atmospheric outlets comprising a second plate membermounted for angular movement also. about an axis perpendicular theretoand in cooperation with the first mentioned plate element, the plateelement for the atmospheric outlets having a plurality of openingstherein so arranged that when one atmospheric outlet is in register withone of said perforations the other atmospheric outlet is closed,mechanism for operatively connecting said angularly shiftable plateelements whereby angular movement of one produces a predeterminedangular movement in the other and whereby movement of said hood outletplate element to open a hood outlet in one chamber is accompanied by amovement of said atmospheric outlet plate element to close theatmospheric outlet in the same chamber, a pair of heating elementsassociated individually with respective of said chambers, and means forenergizing respective of said heating elements in response to theopening of the atmospheric outlet in respective of said chambers.

4. In a hair drying apparatus, the combination with a drying hood, ofair blower means, a pair of desiccant chambers each containing silicagel in suilicient quantity to dry and heat moist air passingtherethrough to a hair drying temperature between about 100 to 140 F.,said chambers each having a hood outlet and an atmospheric outlet andbeing fixedly positioned between said blower means and said hood,conduit means for interconnecting said hood outlets with said hood, apair of heating elements operatively associated with the silica gel inrespective of said chambers, a valve unit for said hood outletscomprising an angularly shiftable element including a cover memberadapted for angular movement into covering relationship to one of saidhood outlets at a time, a valve unit for said atmospheric outlets,including an angularly shiftable element for opening one of saidatmospheric outlets at a time, mechanism for operatively connecting saidangularly shiftable elements whereby the hood outlet in a selectedchamber is opened simultaneously with the opening of the atmosphericoutlet in the other chamber, means for energizing respective of saidheating elements in response to the opening of the atmospheric outlet inrespective of said chambers, and means for communicating heat from theenergized of said heating elements to the hood connected chamber.

5. In a hair drier apparatus, the combination with a drying hood, of airblower means, a pair of desiccant chambers each containing silica gel insufilcient quantity to dry and heat moist air passing therethrough to ahair drying temperature between about 100 to 140 F., said chambers eachhaving a hood outlet and an atmospheric outlet and being fixedlypositioned between said hood and said blower, a valve outlets comprisinga plate element angularly shiftable about an axis perpendicular theretoand having a perforation therein adapted for movement into register withone of said hood outlets at a time, a valve structure for saidatmospheric outunit for said hood lets comprising a second plate membermounted for angular movement also about an axis perpendicular theretoand in cooperation with the first mentioned plate element, the plateelement the atmospheric outlets having a plurality of openings thereinso arranged that when one atmospheric outlet is in register with one ofsaid perforations the other atmospheric outlet is closed, mechanism foroperatively connecting said angularly shiftable plate elements wherebyangular movement of one produces a predetermined arrgular movement inthe other and whereby movement of said hood outlet plate element to opena hood outlet in one chamber is accompanied by a movement of saidatmospheric outlet plate cicment to close the atmospheric outlet in thesame chamber, a pair of heating elements associated individually withrespective of said chambers, means for energizin respective of saidheating elements in response to the opening of the atmospheric outlet inrespective of said chambers, and means for communicating heat from theen ergized of said heating elements to the hood connected chamber.

6. In a hair drying apparatus having passage means for directing airtoward the head of a user, air blower means, a pair of desiccantchambers, a pair of desiccant units, each unit being mounted inrespective of said chambers, a pair of heating elements, each elementbeing associated with respective of said units, each of said chambershaving hood and atmospheric outlets, valve means for closing a hoodoutlet in one selectable chamber and opening the hood outlet in theother chamber, valve means for simultaneously opening the atmosphericoutlet in the selected chamber and closing the atmospheric outlet in theother chamber, means for actuating respective of said heating elementsin response to opening of respective of said atmospheric outlets, a pairof atmospheric outlet heating conduits mounted in respective of saidchambers, each of said conduits being in direct communication with theatmosphere at one extremity thereof, the conduit of a first chamberbeing connected to the atmospheric outlet of the other chamber, and theconduit of said other chamber being connected to the atmospheric outletof the first chamber.

DONALD W. HAARMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name a Date 870,546 Cooke Nov. 12, 19071,295,259 Beebee Feb. 25, 1919 2,066,847 McShea Jan. 5, 1937 2,083,732Moore et al June 15, 1937 2,190,168 Armistead Feb. 13, 1940 2,257,394Nierbach Sept. 30, 1941 2,278,854 Hunsicker Apr. 7 1942

